Bill Moon loves the game of football as he now becomes head coach for his 10th team at Santa Fe Indian Schoo

Another head football coaching position for Bill Moon, but it’s in the neighborhood after Capital High, where he founded the program in 1986, decided to replace him after last year’s shortened campaign of only three games due to the coronavirus pandemic.

So while Moon begins his 37th year, he only had to accept the position at Santa Fe Indian School while the Jaguars replaced him with Joaquin (Wax) Garcia.

One thing is clear, Moon is not going to win any state championships at the 3A school that has not won a game outside its own district in 11 years. Now it becomes a change in leadership for a program that was sidelined last season by the coronavirus pandemic.

It last played in 2019 where it was 4-5 overall, and once again unable to win any of its four District 2-3A contests.

Right now, Moon and his long-time assistant Kevin Hauck need to assemble enough players, whether experienced or not, to have a season where they can compete. At this time, the offense is managed by junior Andre Coriz at quarterback and junior Taylor Tonivio at running back.

Said Moon, who also brought in other former assistants to work with him and Hauck: “People probably wonder why anyone would ever take this job, but from what I see is a place that meets the four — well now five — things I always ask for. I don’t know why anyone would be foolish to think I could do this, then again, I’m foolish enough to think I can.”

Indian School will play its season opener Friday night against visiting Cuba in district play. It has switched from Thursday nights to Friday, and this game will not allow fans in the stands due to the pandemic, making it the only school presently to limit fan access at athletic events.

Moon has been around the Santa Fe area long enough to at least know that the Braves have had successful programs in cross country, basketball, softball and volleyball.

“Now let’s see what we can do with football here,” he said. “I have Kevin and others who have joined me here, so I feel that’s a good start to have with knowledgeable assistants who know the game, and are familiar with my coaching.”

For the record, Moon’s demands are access to a certified trainer, up-to-date facilities that meet safety standards, two buses for road trips assuming there’s a need for extra space, a blocking sled, and then there’s a seventh period football class that the school doesn’t offer.

“The folks here have been fine,” he said at a recent practice. “The seventh period football class has been discussed by the school administration, and I believe they will be willing to work with us on other things.”

Right now, the problem is numbers. One new addition is a positive one as 6-foot-2, 172-pound senior Fenyx Morningdove a speedy runner and pass catcher who has transferred from Bernalillo High. Coriz and Tonivio and Moringdove at least give Moon and company an offensive look.

Other returnees with experience are sophomore corner back Leonard Baldonado, fullback/linebacker Phelix Fox, and senior running back/linebacker Chance Platero.

It’s been a late start for Moon’s new team, his 10th as a head coach, and he says he’s been fired from eight of them, and once when he was going to law school. At Capital, he and his staff there turned the program from a downtrodden team into a playoff contender.

Now he faces one of his biggest challengers. The squad had a late start after a cancelled last season because of COVID-19, and Monday was its first day of school, and he was greeted by only 13 new faces.

“The problem,” said Moon, “is that my seniors and juniors have not played since their freshmen years. So Indian School is like the jumble you see in the newspaper. You’ve got pieces here and there but no sense of how to put it together when you first look at it.”

And the schedule. Well, the Braves might be able to compete with its first five opponents, all non-district teams — Cuba, at Pojoaque Valley, home to Laguna-Acoma, at Wingate and at Espanola Valley. There’s not to say these games would bring a winning record, but the difficult road comes in the district, home to Robertson, home to St. Michael’s, at Raton, and at West Las Vegas.

Indian School has made a change in uniforms, switching from gold to yellow on its helmets, jerseys and pants. Moon said he had twice turned down the school’s offer to be its coach, Hauck said he was offered the spot once, but now he’s happy to back with moon and said he would rather be a coordinator and not deal with the duties of being a head coach.

One more note, his Braves will not be playing the Jaguars this season.